


la muerte de un alma joven

by Anonymous



Category: Coco (2017)
Genre: -I can't let stress stop me from writing.', Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Gen, I was re-reading 'el mundo es mi familia' and went 'ah screw it-, alright i think thats all..., and i missed hector angst... #riverangst, but anyways all that aside i missed this series, cause a. funeral purposes and b. ernesto sucks, ernesthoe appears but i promise he gets his Just Desserts, so //technically// this is a midquel 'cause (gestures to "toma mi mano" n "el mundo es mi familia", so anyway this does have a nics end and all but happiness usually follows after suffering. so!, um i suck at tagging but to end it all off, warning: corpse descriptions and abuse mentions
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-28
Updated: 2018-05-28
Packaged: 2019-05-14 23:48:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14779598
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: It had all happened so quickly, that before he even knew it –– it was over.





	la muerte de un alma joven

**Author's Note:**

> So I've decided to just pace myself when writing multi-chapter fics from now on, so I don't end up so stressed like last time. Hope y'all enjoy this fic.
> 
>  
> 
> ~~to think it all started out with a fic on hector getting the chance at life he deserved (after some blackmail) and ernesto being exposed sooner, thus leaving him with no one to remember him fondly except maybe his mom lol~~

It happened during noon.

After a nice breakfast with his family, Héctor got up from his seat and kissed his daughter's forehead. He then kissed his wife's cheek and said, "I'm going out for a stroll, I'll be back around one, okay?"

"You're going alone?" Imelda questioned, a little surprised. Ever since the little 'incident' surrounding Ernesto and his –  _despicable_ attempt to become famous, Héctor usually went out accompanied by Imelda or Coco. He stopped going out alone for a while due to the psychological wounds –– ones that Ernesto had left –– being fresh. "Are you sure you don't want us to accompany you?" 

Héctor waved his hand dismissively, shaking his head. "No, I will be fine," he replied. "It's been eight years, I think it's time that I go out alone again."

"But what if you start panicking—" Imelda began, but was cut off by her husband's response.

"I won't." He placed his hand under her chin. "You don't need to worry about me, mi amor. Yes, the past happened, but we can't let him have control over us forever. Sometimes, we must let ourselves go." 

Imelda sighed. "Alright then." She then pressed her forehead against his. "But be back by one. Stay out any longer and you won't be sleeping in a soft, warm bed tonight," she warned him, though the last part was a bit of a stretch. 

Héctor chuckled. "You have my word." He then pressed his lips against Imelda's, before making his way towards the door.

Coco quickly hopped out of her seat and ran up to her father. The thirteen year-old hugged his legs tightly as she whispered, "Adios, Papá."

Héctor smiled down at his daughter. "Adios, mi niña." He then looked at Imelda and added, "Adios, mi amor."

Once his daughter let go of his legs, Héctor opened the door, stepping onto the porch. He took a few steps forward, before looking back at his family and waving.

Imelda and Coco watched as the thirty-two year-old man left, his figure slowly but surely fading from view. Imelda felt Pepita brush up against her feet as she placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder. 

"Por favor, vuelve seguro," she whispered quietly, praying to herself that her husband would be home on time—that nothing bad would happen.

Little did she know, her prayers wouldn't be answered.

 

* * *

 

As he walked, Héctor looked around, taking in everything that surrounded him. The shops with all their goods, the music that played not too far away, all of the people that surrounded him –– it had been  _years_ since he'd taken the time to appreciate his surroundings. 

But then, one sight in particular caught his eye –– a little girl, no older than six, was playing in the streets with an old lamb doll. Judging by the fact that no adult seemed to be watching over her, Héctor concluded that she was an orphan. 

' _Poor child_ ,' he thought. ' _All alone at the age of six, with no one to look after her... how hard must it be, to live a life like that_.' 

Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted as he heard the sound of hooves beating against the ground. He looked ahead, and saw a wagon. He noticed that the driver seemed terrified as he tried to steer the horses down a different path, only to fail in doing so.

Héctor looked at the little orphan girl, then at the wagon once more before it hit him.

The girl was on the path that the horses were following. The driver was terrified because it would only be a matter of time before the wagon hit the girl—it'd only be a matter of time before she'd be trampled to death.

Héctor watched, horrified as the wagon drew closer and closer. 

Then, a thought crossed his mind. People had always said "an eye for an eye" when it came to victims receiving compensation –– but, there were cases in which the phrase "a life for a life" had been said when it came to people living after a loved one had passed on.

Héctor looked back at the orphan. She was too young, it just wasn't her time yet...

Just as the wagon was only a few minutes away, he made a decision. 

Héctor ran towards the girl, pushing her far from the wagon's path. He watched as she stumbled to get back up, before looking back ahead.

It was too late for him, for his time had finally run out. Before he could even blink, he felt one of the horses kick him in the head before another one kicked him in the chest. One hoof after another –– his body felt as though it had been pushed onto a bunch of hot, steaming coals. 

The little orphan watched as the horses trampled her savior ––  _Señor Héctor Rivera_  –– until they finally skidded to a stop as the driver whipped them with their reigns. She stared at his battered figure as he laid on the ground, coughing up blood. She slowly approached his body.

' _The only one who cared..._ ' Tears clouded her vision as she let out an ear-piercing scream. 

Upon hearing the scream, the driver quickly hopped out of his seat as he quickly ran to the back of the wagon, before gasping at the grim sight. "Oh god... what have I done?" he uttered.

The last thing Héctor saw before blacking out was a crowd surrounding him as he heard a man shout, "Someone, get him to the nearest hospital ––  _quick!_ " 

 

* * *

 

Imelda paced back and forth in the living room. It had been six hours since Héctor had left. Where was he?

"Mamá?" Coco asked, yawning a little as she sat on the couch. "Is Papá coming home, or... has he left us?" She frowned a little as the last words left her mouth. She had always been close with her father, and the very thought of him never coming home was terrifying.

"Oh, Coco, cariño..." Imelda looked at her daughter, giving her a sad smile as she kneeled down to her level. "Of course he hasn't. He's just a little late. He'll be back, though. Don't worry."

Then, there was a knock on the door. Both mother and daughter quickly got up, hoping that it was Héctor who'd knocked.

However, they were proven wrong as Imelda opened the door, only to find a man dressed in black.

"Who are you?" Imelda asked, gripping her daughter's hand as she looked at the strange man. "Why are you here?"

"I have to deliver some news," the man said, sounding as though he were upset. "It's about your husband, Señor Rivera..."

Imelda heard her daughter whisper "Papá" as the man in black addressed her husband. "What about my husband?" Imelda asked, feeling a little uneasy.

"Your husband, he..." the man trailed off for a moment, before he continued, "There was an incident in town during noon. There was a wagon with two unstable horses pushing it –– they wouldn't let the driver steer them anywhere else, and there was a little girl playing in their path." He had a terrified look on his face, as though he were witnessing the whole thing from afar again. "Your husband pushed the girl out of the way, and he was trampled by the horses instead. He's in the hospital now."

Imelda stood there for a moment, still as a statue while her daughter let out a gasp of horror.

Her husband was in the hospital, and there was a chance that he wouldn't make it.

It felt as though the world came crashing down around her as she processed this thought in her mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo... what do you think? Let me know in the comments, I love hearing other people's thoughts. :D


End file.
